Australia go with all-out pace attack

Date: January 02 2013

Ben Horne

Australia are so intent on crushing Sri Lanka into the SCG grass with the first genuine four-pronged pace attack seen in Sydney in almost half a century, they've overlooked a chance to plan ahead to next month's Test tour of India.

Mitchell Johnson put two Sri Lankan batsmen out of the series with his vicious short-pitched bowling in Melbourne last week.

And a quartet of quicks baying for more blood and a series clean sweep on a green-tinged Sydney wicket was deemed preferable over a chance to cast one eye on the upcoming Indian tour by trialling spinning allrounder Glenn Maxwell.

Maxwell will instead carry the drinks, with Mitchell Starc back in the squad, Sydney-bred Jackson Bird rewarded for a strong MCG debut and Peter Siddle to round out the bowling arsenal alongside spinner Nathan Lyon.

"We've got to keep going with our momentum and just try and crush them," said a ruthless Dave Warner.

The last time Australia fielded four recognised quicks was way back in 1954-'55 when Ray Lindwall, Alan Davidson, Ron Archer and Bill Johnston were unleashed on England.

Archer was an allrounder but opened the bowling in that match.

Captain Michael Clarke, determined to send retiring champion Michael Hussey out a winner, says the pace battery will be more about winning than killing.

"You can expect some good fast bowling but it doesn't necessarily need to be short. It's about execution," Clarke said.

"We have plans for each individual player. Some of those plans involve short-pitched bowling but not necessarily for every player.

"I don't think you will see anything ridiculous.

Clarke said he wouldn't let the upcoming four-Test tour of India influence selections for the SCG Test, despite the fact Australia's cricketers will be short on match practice before they fly to the sub-continent.

"The (selectors) need to make sure they're thinking about the future and I'm sure the Indian tour is at the front of their mind," he said. "But in regards to me as captain and the boys playing the game, our focus is to win this Test and to have beaten Sri Lanka 3-0."

Two Sheffield Shield matches starting on January 24 shape as the only first-class hitouts available for a select few Australian players before the challenge of India.

However, most will even miss out on that opportunity with the one-day international series against Sri Lanka and the West Indies running at the same time.

Fringe players like Maxwell and Hussey's likely replacement Usman Khawaja appear set to head to India without having played a first-class game for two months.

Clarke said he'd hate to think the Test team's preparation was being compromised by Big Bash League scheduling, but said Australia simply had to make the best of it.

Khawaja is on standby for Clarke, but the skipper's hamstring problem won't keep him out unless he suffers a major setback on match eve.

"We need to do a lot of work throughout the one-day series ... finding extra time to prepare for Indian conditions and even talking about the opposition," said Clarke.

"The plan is to get to India and have one or two practice games and plenty of training days so our preparation is still pretty good once we get there.

"I'll always put Tests as the pinnacle. And I think it needs to be prioritised.

"With all the cricket we have ... every country is in the same boat."

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